The Mouse and His Child is a novel by Russell Hoban first published in 1967. It has been described as "a classic of children's literature and is the book for which Hoban is best known."^[1] It was adapted into an animated film in 1977. A new edition with new illustrations by David Small was released in 2001.

The titular characters are a pair of toy mice, joined by the hands and operated by clockwork. The story tells of their beginning in a toy store, their purchase and eventual discarding, their pursuit by a malicious rat, and their quest to become self-winding.

Like E. B. White's Charlotte's Web, the book contrasts with much of children's literature by its occasional advanced vocabulary and willingness to include adult themes.

• Ellis, Sarah. "A Toy's Life and a Boy's Life" (book review). The New York Times, November 18, 2001.